Snow parking ban for New Britain 5pm today (Dec 29th) to 6pm Dec 30th.

With the predicted snowfall coming, a parking ban will be in effect for New Britain starting at 5pm today (Saturday, December 29th). It will continue to be in effect until at least 6pm tomorrow (Sunday, December 30th).

So the city snow plows can clear the streets of snow, parking will not be allowed city streets while a parking ban is in effect. This is important because it is very difficult to completely clear the streets afterwards if people are parked on the streets during and immediately after a significant snowfall.

However, free parking will be available at the following locations during the ban:

  *   Osgood Park
  *   Stanley Golf Course
  *   Quonset hut parking lot at 655 Slater Road
  *   City parking lot at Wildwood St. & Linden St. (next to Police substation)
  *   Washington Park (lot opposite Gold Street)
  *   Martha Hart Park
  *   City parking garages (Bank St. /Chestnut St. & Columbus Blvd. at the corner of Washington St.)

There are no parking fees for parking in any of these places while a parking ban is in effect, though it does not look like this parking ban will still be in effect on Monday.

By the way, I am subject to the inconvenience of this, myself. Since I live in a downtown home with no off-street parking, I have moved my family's cars to the city parking garages downtown.

Also, free winter (treated) sand is available to New Britain residents at the following locations:

EASTWICK COURT (in Park area);
LINDEN STREET (Parking Lot at northwest corner of Wildwood St.);
MARTHA HART PARK (Parking lot off Corbin Ave.);
MCCLINTOCK ST. (Park area between Commonwealth Ave. and Eddy Glover Blvd.);
OSGOOD AVE. (Parking lot in Osgood Park);
ROCKY HILL AVE. (Northeast corner of Ellis St.);
STANLEY ST. (A. W. Stanley parking lot opposite Huber St.);
WASHINGTON PARK (Parking lot opposite Gold St.);
WILLOW BROOK PARK (Parking area near old tennis courts off South Main St.).

Thank you for your cooperation. And please, be safe during the inclement weather.

Merry Christmas from Mayor Tim O'Brien and family.

From my family to your's

have a very Merry Christmas!

May this season of light brighten your lives. I hope you enjoy happy times with family and loved ones, and that this season of hope brings the promise of a bright future for you and your family.

And may this time of joy bring New Britain, our state and our nation the hope for a better a tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

~Mayor Tim O'Brien

New Britain vigil for the victims in Newtown, December 23rd at 6pm in Central Park

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

Words cannot express how terrible the shootings in Newtown today are.

Our children are precious, and I know everyone, especially parents, are heartsick for the little ones whose lives were taken today, and deeply sad for their parents and families. For my own part, I could only think powerfully of how much my little daughter means to me when I heard the terrible news - and I know all parents felt the same way.

It is shocking, angering, tragic and terrible. I know that I speak for everyone in New Britain in expressing deep sadness for the victims - children, teachers and others - and heartfelt condolence and sympathy for their families, loved ones and friends - and for the people of the town of Newtown.

I am inviting the people of our city to come together as a community, on December 23rd at 6pm in Central Park in downtown New Britain, for a vigil to remember those whose lives were taken and show support for their families and loved ones - and the people Newtown. Other cities and towns in the state are organizing similar vigils on the evening of the 23rd, as well.

Please spread the word about this, and take care.

New Britain holiday tree lighting

From Mayor Tim O'Brien:

Please join me for New Britain's holiday tree lighting tomorrow (Tuesday, November 27th) from 4-7pm at Central Park in downtown New Britain! This is a great opportunity to come together as a community and enjoy a fun family night out in our city's downtown.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Hot cocoa will be provided throughout the event.
• At 4:30pm carriage rides that will begin.
• At 5pm the New Britain High School Madrigals will sing.
• At 6pm the Right Now Ministries Gospel Choir will welcome the arrival of Santa, and the tree lighting will follow.
• Santa will have presents for the first 500 kids.
• Throughout the event, Community Central, at 117 West Main Street will have arts and crafts for children.
• After the event ends at 7pm, the New Britain Public Library will have arts and crafts.
• All activities are free of charge.
• The event will be on, rain or snow.

So, let's enjoy each other's company and our city's downtown and brighten the season together!

REMARKS OF MAYOR TIM O’BRIEN, VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

REMARKS OF MAYOR TIM O’BRIEN,

VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES,

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Good morning and welcome to New Britain’s annual Veterans Day ceremonies to honor our city’s and our nation’s men and women who have bravely served in the armed forces in defense of freedom and liberty.

As the Mayor of New Britain, it an honor to speak at this ceremony in Central Park. It is a privilege today to stand before you for the first time as Mayor on Veterans Day to state, on behalf of all the residents of New Britain, our deepest gratitude to all those who have served our nation with distinction and honor.

Here in New Britain, we have always cherished our veterans and have honored them on this special day. We do so by visiting the various veterans monuments throughout our city, including this very special ceremony in the heart of city - Central Park - at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

In New Britain, we commemorate Veterans Day and Memorial Day on the traditional days - not on the Monday of a three day weekend. We remember that the reason for these days is to remember and thank those who defended our nation.

We must always remember those who served so valiantly in all our nation’s wars and during peacetime, as well. And we must also remember that New Britain has been blessed by the hard work and commitment of servicemen and women who came home and gave the same service and dedication to building a stronger community.

Other communities have eliminated or drastically reduced their Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances, citing budget cuts. I was truly proud, that one of my first actions after taking office was to restore the cuts made to the Memorial Day parade.

New Britain’s commitment to carrying on these traditions of respect and tribute is what sets us apart from other communities, and I am proud that we rightly come together each year to honor those whose sacrifices have made our democratic way of life possible.

More important than these once a year ceremonies is the recognition we should give veterans in our day to day lives. For without their sacrifices, we would not have the freedoms we enjoy today. That is why one of the charges of the new city Community Services Department I created as part of the consolidation of city departments is to increase our city’s service to veterans. We should give our veterans, not only our thanks on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, but also the services they need and that we owe to them because of what they have done for us.

I also encourage city residents to support efforts like that of Marjorie Hackett Wallace, who organizes care packages every year for active duty military personnel deployed in Afghanistan. Last year, she organized and shipped 538 care packages containing more than 8,000 lbs of snacks and personal care items to support our overseas service men and women. Helping this effort shows Americans serving overseas that we are thinking about them and deeply appreciate their service.

God bless all the veterans that we honor here today.

God bless those who gave their lives for our nation.

God bless all the courageous men and women now serving in our armed forces.

God bless all those individuals who work to show our veterans and active duty service men and women that we remember and honor them for their service.

God bless our great city, and may God bless America.

Thank you.

Trash pickup to replace Tuesday morning pickup.

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien for people for Tuesday trash collection:

Good news for people whose trash could not be collected this Tuesday morning because the storm was coming through: I have succeeded in working something out a replacement trash collection.

For people whose trash was not collected yesterday (Tuesday) morning, I have worked about a Friday morning pickup for your trash. That means, if you normally leave your trash out Monday nights for Tuesday morning pickup, for this week only, you can leave your trash out tomorrow (Thursday) night for a Friday morning pickup. It is possible that the pickup on some streets might not be completed on Friday, but those streets are to be done on Saturday.

This is still more work to be done in the wake of the storm, but I hope this helps.

Cleaning up and celebrating Halloween

A message from Mayor Tim O'Brien: Cleaning up and celebrating Halloween.

City and utility workers continue clean up and fix up after the storm. As of this message, there are still people in the city without power, and we are continuing our work with CL&P on that. We are also working on clearing fallen branches, trees and other debris and are otherwise working to return life in our city to normal. I want to thank all of the city workers who worked hard to serve and protect city residents and businesses during the storm, and let me share my appreciation to our city's residents for doing what you needed to do to prepare and be ready.

Here are some updates and information:

• With the storm emergency passed, the New Britain Emergency Operations Center, which had been open for the storm since yesterday morning, closed today. The city is, however, continuing to work on clean-up and restoration.
• The Senior Center, which had operated as our city's shelter through the night, closed this morning.
• To help the city's residents, our Recycling Center at 642 Christian Lane in Berlin will be available during normal hours for city residents to bring trash, wood debris and recycling. This will be free for New Britain residents until Saturday. Please bring a proof of residency to access this free service.
• This (Tuesday) morning trash pick-up was cancelled and it is not practical for the city to reschedule the city's pickups to allow Tuesday pick up until next Tuesday morning. I apologize for any inconvenience. However, the Recycling Center is free for city residents to bring trash until Saturday, if you would like.
• If your recycling pick-up was for this (Tuesday) morning, we have scheduled a special recycling pickup for you for next Tuesday morning. After that, your recycling schedule returns to normal.

Halloween!

• The City's downtown Halloween celebration will be happening tomorrow (Wednesday) night. My house at 25 South High Street and many downtown businesses and organizations will have treats for kids and fun programs from 4:30pm to 6pm. At 6:30pm, there will be a costume parade for the kids and prizes for great costumes.
• For trick or treating citywide, please be safe. Some neighborhoods may still have some debris on the ground and, of course, please keep kids (and adults) away from any downed power lines.

Thanks so much, again. And have a fun and safe Halloween!

Post Storm Safety Information

After Storm Safety Information from Mayor Tim O'Brien.

With the storm past us, there are some important safety tips that I would ask people to keep in mind as the city and utilities clean-up.

• If you don't have to go out in the early morning, please avoid doing so, as there are still downed power lines and trees. The city and utilities are working to clean those up, and I want to ensure your safety.
• School has been cancelled for today (Tuesday).
• Please stay away from downed power lines. Please especially make sure there are no downed power lines where children might be. You can report downed power lines and branches by calling 860-826-3000.
• The Senior Center at 55 Pearl Street will be open today as a shelter, Tuesday, at least during the day, if you do not have power or for any other reason you feel you need it.

I would like to thank all everyone in our community for being careful and conscientious during the during the storm.

Storm Safety Message from Mayor Tim O’Brien, October 28, 2012, 6:50pm

An Important Safety Message from Mayor Tim O’Brien 

 Dear New Britain resident,

Ø  Hurricane Sandy is approaching Connecticut. This is a large, dangerous storm that will impact New Britain, for a period of 24 to 36 hours beginning Monday.

Please be advised of the following: Ø   New Britain, is expecting high winds of 40 - 60 MPH and heavy rain. Ø   Downed trees, power outages and flooding are expected with this storm. New Information ·         Due to this storm, all public and private schools will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.    ·         There will be no trash or recycling collection for Tuesday morning pick-up. ·         The Senior Citizen Center on Pearl St. will open Monday morning at 8 am as a shelter. Please do these things today: •       Bring inside all lawn furniture, cooking grills and trash bins. •       Be prepared to be self-sufficient in your home for 72 hours. •       Have food, water, flashlights and a battery operated radio available. •       Charge all cell phones. •       Check on elderly and at risk neighbors and relatives. •       Stay informed, listen to storm information, and please take action now.       Please remember these things for your families’ safety:  •       Do not use candles for lighting, use flashlights. •       Do not use propane or charcoal grills indoors for any reason. •       Stay away from downed power lines. •       Call 860-826-3000, to report fallen trees, fallen wires and flooding. •       Call 9-1-1 for police, fire and medical emergencies. Updates will continue to be available at www.newbritainct.gov as the city continues our work for you during the storm. Thank you for your cooperation.

Severe weather watches are in effect.

Here is the weather watch information affecting New Britain from the National Weather Service:

The prediction on wind:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE
MONDAY NIGHT.

* LOCATIONS...ALL OF INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.

* HAZARDS...VERY STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS.

* WINDS...NORTHEAST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH.

* TIMING...STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING.

* IMPACTS...WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES POSSIBLE.

The prediction on rain is:

  PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL OF 1.5
  TO 3 INCHES IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE WATCH AREA. HOWEVER
  LOCALIZED TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...WHICH WOULD
  BRING THE THREAT OF URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING. THE HIGHEST
  PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO FALL ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND
  HILLS OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...AND EAST FACING SLOPES OF SAID
  HIGHER TERRAIN. FLOOD ISSUES COULD LINGER INTO TUESDAY.

Again, please be aware of news about the upcoming storm, and please do follow my advise on this blog and at www.newbritainct.gov to prepare and be safe.

City officials have been working to prepare.

Thank you very much -

~Tim O'Brien
   Mayor
   New Britain

Hurricane Sandy information - October 27, 2012, 7:54pm

An Important Safety Message from Mayor Timothy E. O’Brien

Saturday, October 27, 2012, 7:54pm

Dear New Britain resident,

New Britain officials are monitoring the status of the approaching Hurricane Sandy. This is a large, dangerous storm with the potential of impacting the state for a period of 24 to 36 hours beginning late Monday. City agencies are preparing for the storm.

Please be advised of the following:

• Connecticut, including New Britain, is expecting heavy winds, with stronger gusts, and rain in excess of 5 inches.

• Downed trees, power outages and flooding are expected with this storm.

New Britain officials are requesting residents to do the following:

Now

• Monitor the path of the storm
• Top off all generators and vehicles with fuel.
• Prepare an emergency kit consisting of nonperishable food, water, flashlights with fresh batteries, and a battery-powered radio.
• Remove / secure lightweight items from your yards.
• Be prepared to be self-sufficient in your home for 72 hours.
• Stay informed, listen to your local authorities, and please take action now.

For more information and emergency instructions please go to www.getreadycapitolregion.org and www.newbritainct.gov

During / After the Storm

• Do not use candles for lighting, use flashlights.
• Do not use propane or charcoal grills indoors for any reason
• To report fallen trees, wires down and flooding, call 860-826-3000.
• Maintain your safety, but if possible, check on your neighbors.
• For emergency assistance from police, fire, EMS, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Mayor Timothy E. O’Brien  

Mayor Tim O’Brien Annual Message 2012

Mayor Tim O’Brien

Annual Message 2012

• Economic Development
• No Tax Increase
• More Efficient Administration
• Maintaining Services

The 2012-13 budget honors the pledge I made to taxpayers to balance the budget and provide certainty for the next year by not raising property taxes. I proposed, and the Common Council adopted, the 2012-2013 budget with no tax increase, keeping the mill rate at 36.63 mills. Fulfilling this commitment is important during this slow economic recovery as many residents affected by the recession continue tostruggle to balance their own household budgets, and businesses seek to survive.

Balancing the budget without raising taxes requires significant changes to be made at city hall. That’s why I proposed my “City Hall Consolidation Plan,” which the Council also approved.

The plan is designed to save taxpayer money, make City Hall more efficient; increasing the chances we’ll be able to sustain current services into the future. The consolidation plan is a huge priority for my administration and we will be moving forward with consolidating 21 city departments down to six. The benefits of consolidation won’t just help us financially this year – but will save tax dollars every year after.

In addition, consolidation helped my administration close the city deficit which grew over the last 5 budget years to an all-time high of $30 million. My priorities are simple: improve the quality of life, support our schools, strengthen public safety, and reform city government to be more efficient and accountable. I will continue to take the necessary actions to make New Britain vibrant through positioning the city for continued investment, economic development and job growth.

In the first 8 months, I have negotiated and announced several exciting business proposals for economic development. There is a new wave of high skilled, high paid manufacturing jobs coming back to the United States and I’m committed to positioning our great city to be out in front of this wave. We recently announced the sale of 8.5 acres of city land, at the site of Pinnacle Heights Housing Project, to Polamer Precision, a local manufacturing company.

Polamer will be building a 160,000 square foot facility and bringing with it 130 jobs. My administration worked closely with Polamer to sell the property and created an economic assistance package that helped make their move and expansion here in New Britain possible.

Peter Paul Electronics, another local manufacturer, recently announced they would be expanding and creating 75 new jobs after Governor Dan Malloy and I announced municipal/state loan package, worth over $2.5 million, which allows them to expand and update their technology.

Costco continues to move forward with their plans to build a 150,000 square foot store which will mean over 200 jobs and $500,000 in much needed tax revenue. Additionally, the Hartford to New Britain Busway is now actively under construction, bringing hundreds of jobs with it. We will continue to see rapid progress in upcoming months.

Our new police station downtown is on track to be completed next December. We are in the process of reviewing proposals for businesses to occupy the first floor retail space of the police station. Downtown New Britain is poised for an upswing – our newest downtown restaurant, Tools Bar & Grill, with its live jazz and blues is a sign that the resurgence has already started.

As always, I am interested in hearing your views, ideas and concerns. I encourage you to call my office at (860) 826-3303, email me: mayor@timobrien.org or visit my Facebook page at facebook.com/TimOBrienNB.

It has been an honor to serve as your mayor for the past 8 months. I thank you and look forward to working for a brighter future for New Britain.

Sincerely,

Tim O'Brien
Mayor

New Britain Parks and Recreation Department: Chili's Give Back Night

Here is something that is something you may find a great way to help benefit our city Parks and Recreation Department, while enjoying lunch or dinner out. This is from the Parks and Recreation Department...

On Thursday, March 8th , Chilis on Hartford Road in New Britain will be donating 10% of sales to the New Britain Parks and Recreation Department. Patrons must present the attached flyer in order for the Department to receive the 10%. Please note, this  includes lunch, dinner, takeout, and bar orders.

Click here to get this flyer.

Report from the Outside Auditor for Addressing the Budget Deficit

When I told by the City Finance Department, after becoming Mayor, that the City faced an $11.5 million deficit for the budget I inherited, I decided to bring in an outside auditor to help find ways to close the deficit. And I am glad that I did, because the auditors identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in saving that might not have otherwise been identified.

Here is a copy of the draft report of the auditor (PDF).